Tuesday, December 31, 2013

This Christmas like most others, included a stack of books given and received. Those in the received category include Blessed Zion (the history of our 177 year old First Presbyterian Church of Jackson), Robert Edsel's Saving Italy and The Monuments Men, E.H. Gombrich's The Story of Art and A Little History of the World, two additional books about art lost or stolen during WWII and a new ESV bible.

The bible I have been using is a 1995 New Geneva study bible that is now well-worn as much as it is well-loved. Francis Schaeffer is attributed with saying, "I love the bible so much that sometimes, especially in the morning, I sit there and hold it close and pat it." I get that. I love my books. The way they look. The way they feel in my hands. The turned down corners and scribbled margins that serve as landmarks along the way. I remember a lot of what I read by seeing the page in my mind, especially what I read in my bible.

How does one lay aside a book like this?

And yet I will in order to keep it intact.

My Geneva bible will be right here on my desk.

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It contains irreplaceable notes.

So many notes that some pages are difficult to read.

I write on the maps.

I consider the notes to be maps of sorts.

A light went off as I wandered through the familiar pages of this bible.

This bible came into my possession in 1995, the same year that Ligon Duncan became my pastor.

By and large these notes represent 17 years of his sermons, studies and lectures.

God has been faithful to First Presbyterian Church.

In 177 years we have had but 12 senior ministers, all of whom were diligent to preach the bible as the infallible, inerrant Word of God.

We are as Ligon reminded us, "under the book."

We are under its authority, protection, illumination, wisdom, instruction, and so much more.

The pages and margins are full, and so is my heart.

God has used this preacher, teacher, theologian to inform my mind,

to change my heart, to conform my will.

A great warning of Ligon's I will always remember:

"We never get to a point in life where our desires are safe." Phil.4:8

A great reason to heed it:

"Jesus' suffering began for you during His infancy." Mt.2:13

When I asked for a new bible this Christmas I had not yet realized that the last bible came along with my new minister. And I didn't realize that this new bible would come along with my new senior minister. Today is Ligon Duncan's last day as Senior Minister before becoming Chancellor of Reformed Theological Seminary. Tomorrow begins our "reformed interregnum."

The period of time in between ministers.

I think my new bible will have to wait until my new minister's first Sunday.

Until then these pages will remain clean and unmarked.

I won't write over the maps.

These pages will await new quotes, scripture references, warnings, and assurances.

And so I remain grateful for what is past and hopeful in what is to come.

The interregnum after J.R.R. Tolkien's King Earnur of Gondor lasted 968 years.

Saturday, December 21, 2013

My dear husband is Mr. Christmas Decoration. We are up and at 'em the morning after Thanksgiving and off to find the perfect tree. I should say he is off to find the perfect tree. I'm there for moral support. Our ceilings are 10 feet, so Mr. Christmas Decoration generally chooses a 12 foot tree. It's fun watching the young men wedge it in between the ceiling and the floor and I've grown accustomed to the places where the trunk has scraped the ceiling in the living room. When we were first married and on the adventure to find the tree, I located one that seemed fairly decent. "What? Not THAT one," he grimaced. "What's wrong with it?" "Nothing, if you want a Christmas shrub." (When you're 6'6" everything looks like a shrub.) We go for the sequoia sized trees. "Where's the gold stuff?" he frowned after I'd painstakingly wrapped 40,000 lights and carefully placed every ornament I could find. "What's gold stuff, my love?" "You know, gold stuff." I called his sister to ask. I called Mrs. Rugg. What's gold stuff? After 20 years of marriage, I'm proud to announce that I finally got the gold stuff.

More gold stuff.

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With a little red and green for me.

We started this Christmas shelf a few years ago for the grandchildren. The shelves are full of toys (some from my childhood and my girls', too), candles, ornaments, sacks of coal for those on the naughty list.

We've gotten into jointed animals for some reason.

Before the grandchildren go home

they can choose something from the shelf to take home to build their own Christmas shelf.

There's never been any fussing over who gets what.

I guess they know if they fuss,

they'll get the sack of coal.

Doll house furniture, like the gumball machine, make good items for the shelf.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Grandmuvver once told me I could do a better job utilizing the greenery from my yard in arrangements for inside. That tickled me. She also reminded me often, "You never know when you're going to need a good stick." For all of those arrangements, you know. I took her words to heart and have been picking up good sticks ever since. For nearly two years a grocery sack of good sticks has been stashed under one of the skirted side tables in my dining room. The sturdy, straight sticks came from Math Girl's yard and the grandpeeps helped me collect them. Finally, they have been put to use in the stable for the nativity scene I've been working on FOREVER. (It's not that it's so spectacular. I'm slow.)

First the side walls came together.

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In order to attach the roof sections, prop the sides up on a highly technical piece of equipment.

A phone book.

Continue gluing.

I lost only three fingers with the hot glue process.

That's better than normal.

I wanted the background to be something other than sticks,

great as those sticks are.

Then it came to me.

The city of Bethlehem in the background.

Ooooo, this is going to be fun.

Attach the village pieces and then..

run with scissors!

Why not embroider something like Van Gogh's

Starry Starry Night?

The responses I received were varied.

"That'll be spectacular!"

or

"Do what now?"

Stitch, stitch, stitch.

One of my friends has one of those gizmos that tracks steps, calories, energy consumption, etc.

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About Me

Thanks for checking in around here. Boy, was I wrong. I thought at my age I'd be just rocking and resting in a slower paced life. Forget that. I'm running with my scissors, sewing for my eight little grandchildren, reading, reading, reading, cooking and baking, teaching bible study at my church (FPC Jackson, MS) and always plotting a trip to France.